Rupegia

Chapter 164: The Four – Part 1

What is it with fantasy towns and a lack of urban planning?

"Europe is similar," Ted begins the golem's little bit.

"Their roads were built before urban planning existed," Suzy follows up, as always.

"Resulting in snaking or meandering paths," Jarn finishes.

But Escanso is different; it's a well-planned town.

"It's also the exception," Ted goes again.

"Not the norm," Suzy finishes.

"And Mac Gantus is another exception," Jarn wisely adds after a short pause.

It feels like only the dwarves have internalized the concept of "order" into architecture. And Lina silently agrees… emphatically agrees.

As we approach the Carrier, we spot a group of people on its deck. We see about a dozen winged soldiers in shining metal armor, the Celestial Horns, with Oritiki at the center, Hihiriwa right next to her, and two clothed Chimeras on her other side. There are also five winged soldiers behind the clothed pair, and these men wear shiny and colorful armor, telling us that the two clothed Chimera are important people.

It's unfortunate that Oritiki is wearing armor because I've sorely missed her massive black cow tits… but she's looking a bit… odd to us. It's like there's something "missing." Hihiriwa, the Carrier's captain and an untrustworthy bastard, still looks like the same gray-dragon-headed man as before, so we truly believe that there's something wrong with her, and it's not just our memory being faulty.

The golems carefully land our airship on the Carrier's deck, right in front of the welcoming party. There's no ramp or red carpet for us, so we just magic our way down (also taking Caterina with us) while the soldiers use the rope ladder. Urmeie and her bodyguards have their own way of flying down, saving us from having to include them in our spells, which is nice because I did forget that it'd be unbecoming to have Urmeie go down the rope ladder.

Aoi's presence grabs almost all of the attention, but everyone here seems high-level enough to resist her natural intimidating aura, so the gazes return to me and my dazzling appearance.

"Oritiki, I'm happy to see you!" I cheerfully greet her when my feet touch the ground.

"We're also very happy that you've decided to join us," she answers with such a deep voice that we stop in surprise, and she smiles wryly, as she was expecting this. "My body always becomes male if I spend more than a day-cycle without seeing my husbands."

Noooooooo~…! I want to see her massive cow tits!

"That's just a bit disappointing. Your breasts are always a wonder to stare at," I wistfully reply with a dramatic frown.

She(?) grins back at my little act, as she does enjoy the attention her tits bring. "I know! But, unfortunately, the lack of a man to bend over to leaves me with only masculine thoughts, so my body changes on its own."

Huh… I think I get how her sex change works, and I'd love to assert myself over her (without it being her cheating on her husbands) just so that I could stare at her tits, but right now, there are more important things to pay attention to.

I turn to the two clothed Chimera, then sober up and apologize with a very polite tone, "Apologies for the silly digression. We may properly begin greetings now."

"No offense taken; it was an amusing conversation to hear," the big, muscular, winged, rhinoceros-headed man with a cannon in his pants calmly remarks with a deep and gentle voice. I have a feeling that he's high-level and someone important.

Then the average-sized zebra-headed man beside him bows as he obediently begins the introductions, "Your Highnesses and Your Imperial Highness, I'm Tamapa, the Diplomat assigned for the High Forest, and this is Prince Hekeman-u Hau-Hou."

Lina's Trivia: Hau-Hou is the name of the royal family that rules the Sky Lands, while the ancient Chimera rulers called themselves the "Celestials," or "Divines," in colloquial speech. The Hau-Hou dynasty claims to be unrelated to the Celestials, but also that their family was personally given the right to rule the Sky Lands by a Celestial, and in the absence of anyone of a higher rank, they've assumed the position of royals.

They were also the first to drop the popular "God-" prefix in their titles, but only because it belonged to the Celestials and not because they respected the first true Humanoid God, Ajax. Our spirit Chimeras quietly whine that the Hau-Hou should've also taken the title of regents instead of royals, but at the time, it was just common sense that the rulers of nations were called Kings and Queens. Only later, when places like the Faium Principality and the Maplethorne Dominion were established, was the concept of "governing" separated from "ruling."

And while Lina gives me a history lesson through [Bind], we go through the boring pleasantries required when two royal families meet.

"Blah blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah, we'd eagerly welcome our long lost brethren into our midst," the Prince cheerfully remarks with a handsome smile.

Haa~ng oo~n…

That's a verbal trap. Everyone wants our Chimeras because of their expertise with gems and airships, which have been lost since the Petrification Calamity.

But Kaatohe is sharp enough to immediately shut him down, "We, spirit Chimeras, have very particular needs, and for now, we're the safest and most comfortable in Escanso, as the Ryders have taken very good care of us."

"It makes me very happy to hear this," he casually replies with a nod.

I snort internally. From what Oritiki has reported, the Sky Landers are extremely keen traders. Their lack of resources puts them at a disadvantage when dealing with their coin-privileged land-dweller counterparts, so their culture has transformed in a way that encourages one to never miss the chance for profit while favoring bartering instead of coin.

Exactly what Oritiki and Hihiriwa have been doing for us in this "cultural exchange." Though the latter of the two is starting to get fed up with their behavior. It does sound infuriating to have to deal with someone who's always thinking about trade and profit.

After the pleasantries are done and the chatter has slowed down, Hekeman politely backs away, "But I won't hold you here any longer. You must be tired from your flight, so I'll let Tamapa take you to your guest housing."

We aren't really tired, but alright. It's already night, anyway, and Aoi and Gify are getting hungry. So we take the horseless, enchanted carriage waiting for us outside the air docks.

Kini Kaina is an interesting place. The floating islands have been carved out to make space for more buildings while the stone that was removed was used to build higher, but then the stone ran out, so the upper parts of the rather tall buildings are made of wood. This creates three distinct layers: the cozy underground city, the sober and sturdy middle stone layer, and the whimsical and pretty upper wooden layer.

The Chimeras seem to favor the apartment building lifestyle with blocky construction, at least for the underground and middle layers. They aren't really great architects, but at least everything looks pretty with colorful paint.

The multiple islands that make up the capital aren't all at the same level, so even though our carriage goes in a perfectly straight line, we pass by an upper layer, an underground layer, and a stone layer. Because of this difference in elevation, the middle and upper layers have some suspended roads that look really cool, and there's even a futuristic air to the city due to the number of small, Glider-class airships (that all have headlights) crossing the sky and the little floating lights marking the flying lanes.

But this landscape is unique to Kini Kaina, as other Chimera Sky Lands aren't densely populated enough to warrant this kind of urban design.

After a short trip, our carriage finally stops in the underground layer of the royal palace.

Things get a bit ostentatious, of course, as the royals are rather fond of silver and crystals for decorations. I know that our heraldry's color is literally supposed to be silver, but we use it sparingly.

We pass by a not-Sistine-Chapel as we climb a set of spiral stairs, then cross through such a colorful garden that it makes Yunia raise her thin, golden eyebrows, and then we finally reach our guest mansion.

"See you in the bath, Dragon Cock," Urmeie grunts with a toothy grin and slaps my ass, then immediately moves on and enters the mansion, her bodyguards following close behind.

I am slowly becoming horny for her, but I need to prepare myself because I'll have to fight for the integrity of my asshole when I finally give in and decide to breed her.

Anyway, the guest mansion appeals to Lina's senses, as it's tall, breezy, and very flat, with little details in the architecture, but the walls and ceilings are covered in beautiful, painted murals. As a dwarf, she prefers carvings, but the Chimera sense for epic paintings is appealing to her.

"Hm… I'm pleased with this place. It does remind me of Whakamutu," Kaatohe cautiously remarks as we enter the mansion.

"The town behind us was like Whakamutu, no?" Hukarere casually questions as she takes off her wolf helmet.

But my cat simply waves her hand dismissively. "I didn't care for the undertown of Whakamutu, and the upper parts of Kini Kaina aren't open enough to remind me of our old home."

My white wolf rolls her eyes and turns to the other spirit Chimeras among the Companions. "What about you guys? Doesn't this town remind you of Whakamutu?"

They glance at Kaatohe, wary of offending the now official concubine, but Hukarere's intense stare gives them the confidence to shyly nod. That's good enough for her, so the white wolf sends a smug glance at the orange-clothed cat, who narrows her eyes in annoyance and ignores her taunting.

"How about you join us in the big bath?" Hana kindly asks Caterina.

"No," the mature elf immediately declines, sounding just a little bit stiff, and leaves before she can be tempted further.

Well, that's fine, for we have enough Companions to keep us company as we wash ourselves.

The bath is made of heated stone, and it has quite an interesting number of enchantments to customize our experience, but it lacks the beauty products that elves have, making for a relaxing but less beautifying experience. We have to pull out our own elven products to give everyone the care that they deserve, especially Yunia's glorious golden drills.

For this sacred family moment, I have both Hana and Kaatohe at the same time. The former is just horny in general, while the latter didn't have the opportunity to get satisfaction when Roxanne and I played on the bridge.

The cat is happy to receive our combined attention, and Hana enjoys giving her a rough dragonkinhandling. As for me, I'm just happy to be the dick that they both lack, and they use me to fulfill their desires.

We're not in a particularly horny mood, so the Ravaging isn't anything special, and we soon come out.

Prince Hekeman(-u? How does his name work?) doesn't join us for dinner to give us time to talk to our people, but tomorrow we'll be graced with his presence. I'm not looking forward to it, though, as I'm still not very fond of negotiations.

Anyway, Kaatohe and Hukarere are pleasantly surprised that they recognize most of the dishes, which have so much variety in ingredients that I can't find a proper comparison for. Maybe gnomic cuisine is similar, considering that there are all sorts of unusual ingredients being used. The only constant is the leaves; there are just so many leaves.

I also notice that the maids are very quiet and avoid looking me in the eye, making me just a bit concerned since I'm actively suppressing my seduction.

But I file that thought away for later. Now that Oritiki is without armor, I feel sad that her massive tits have been replaced by a chiseled chest. She even has a huge cock… a cock! Her pussy lips were like the cherry on the delicious cake, but now it's the girls who salivate as they stare at her divine body. Paraaone, her second in command and also bodyguard, has come too, and the brown bull-headed man waves and smiles at Lina, who shyly returns the greeting.

Hihiriwa hasn't brought his wife, which might explain why he looks a bit cranky. At least he's trying to suppress his mood, showing a bit of respect for us.

Once everyone sits down, including Alcander, Caterina, and Urmeie (who immediately begins to eat), I calmly initiate our talk, "We've already read the reports, so we're more interested in hearing your personal opinions on the Sky Landers."

Oritiki goes first, as she's the one officially leading this diplomatic expedition, and she makes a complicated expression as she gives her opinion, "They never give anything for free, they aren't interested in wealth, and they're self-sufficient, so finding something they're interested in trading is a bit of a challenge, though they really want to get our enchanters and gem refiners."

Kaatohe is very confident in her beliefs, so she repeats her previous rebuttal to the Prince, "Very unlikely. Loyalty, comfort, and potential. Escanso has it all."

And Oritiki emphatically agrees, "Indeed. Tamapa already dropped that topic a long time ago, so I think Prince Hekeman-u only tried to probe your response."

Yunia frowns slightly as she deliberates, "Then we'll need to think of what other items to trade that might interest them because we'll need their help with this divine quest."

"But let's hear Hihiriwa's opinion first," I interject before they start to give suggestions.

The grumpy gray dragon becomes even grumpier as he shares his opinion, "I'm disappointed in them. I believed that the absence of any Divine would've made them more independent or proactive, but they bow and serve these… impostors just like the land-dwellers and their rulers."

"What is it with you and your distaste for nobility?" I reflexively question with a confused frown. He's grumpy, but not insolent, so I don't really believe he considers us "impostors" too.

And he makes a very solemn expression as he boldly declares, "The worshiping of nobility leads to complacency, as they willingly give up their aspirations, and that results in ruin. It is a position supported by the God of Change and also the Humanoid Gods, so I'm very confident in my beliefs being correct and beneficial for our future."

"You'd make a good Punisher," Caterina kindly praises with a cordial smile.

He returns the smile and nods. "Thank you."

But Ciel sternly retorts, "While you may not be wrong, respect and trust in the nobility are required for social unity, allowing civilization to focus on building stronger foundations in times of peace."

And Caterina promptly agrees with a conciliatory tone, "I like your philosophy too, Your Highness Ciel. You've come a long way from your beginnings as a priestess of Love."

The angel doesn't know how to respond, as that's a kind of praise she's not used to, so she simply forces a calm smile while trying not to look flustered.

"Things aren't exactly peaceful in the Sky Lands, though," Oritiki quietly remarks with a serious tone.

"You didn't expand on that in your reports," I reply in kind.

She nods. "Indeed, because the Sky Landers are hiding the truth, and so I was too unsure to mention it in my reports. I had to talk to imperials to learn that there has been an increase in air pirates around the Sky Lands because not even the commoners are talking about it."

"Are they hiding their weakness so that the empire doesn't try to exploit them?" Lina suddenly utters something that lights up [Spirit Lights] over all of our heads.

"Wait, that makes too much sense," I mumble in astonishment.

"Of course, they're afraid of being exploited…" Yunia mumbles and releases a deep sigh as she facepalms.

Alissa then wisely retorts, "But we aren't imperials. We can just have a private talk with the King, a negotiation solely between the Ryder and Hau-Hou royals. That should be enough to soothe his worries."

"The Queen is the one who rides on top," Oritiki quietly adds, lightening up the mood.

"We'll talk to both of them," I state while holding back a wry smile.

"Why do you know that?" Urmeie grunts curiously at Oritiki.

And the brown cow male woman smirks. "Rumors spread, and the Chimeras don't try to hide their bedroom activities."

"Right. I guess that's one of the reasons why they're so loyal to the Ryders," the Princess mumbles and continues to eat.

Kaatohe then rather snobbishly replies, "It's one of the reasons, yes. You naturally build respect for someone who has the same customs as you."

And that, Urmeie understands very well.

"Wait, Princess Urmeie is from the Empire," Roxanne suddenly remarks as she (and, to a lesser extent, everyone else) totally forgot about that detail. "Couldn't it be that they're assuming that we're representing the Empire since she's with us?"

Mama bear rolls her eyes in annoyance. "Ugh… I'm not representing anyone, so you can just have your private talk with the Queen without me. That should be enough to have them understand that you aren't 'representing the Empire.'"

"Thank you for being understanding," Yunia politely hums, and Urmeie just grunts back.

For the evening, we enjoy the view from the comfort of our room. It's a far cry from our room at the top of the castle back in Escanso, but it's still enjoyable. The island of the palace is the highest of all in Kini Kaina, and our guest mansion is near the edge, giving us a clear sight of a quarter of the sprawling capital with an obsession for apartment buildings.

There are just so many little dots of light coming from the buildings that I feel nostalgic about Earth's skyscrapers. I know their shadows ruined a lot of architecture that relied on natural sunlight, but there's nothing like a big phallic shape protruding out of the ground.

"Mm-hm," Roxanne's hum of agreement echoes inside my soul space. Succubi architecture is all about dick-shaped towers.

There's also the palace behind us, which looks like a more colorful Hagia Sophia, but there isn't anything special about it or the gardens since imperials do grandiose architecture better while elves do gardens better, so I focus my gazing on the city.

"So, what about the Realm Travelers?" I quietly question Oritiki.

Her huge cock twitches as she watches Hukarere go down on me, expertly sucking me off like the good cumslut she is.

And the male cow woman quietly answers, "They seem to be well-hidden within the palace. I think the royals fear imperial spies kidnapping them, or maybe just any contact, as that could entice them to leave. I've heard that the Sky Lander Army is spending too much time in the Broken Skies, to the point that pirates have sprouted in their absence, and I'd bet my left tit that the Travelers are going with them."

"You don't have tits," I flatly point out, and we both chuckle.

"Do you know where the Army is going, exactly?" Yunia continues once we go silent again.

But Oritiki shakes her head with a frown. "No, that's confidential information."

I cum on Hukarere's tongue as I sip my Apaisant tea, and Oritiki's huge cock starts to get hard, most likely thirsting for a cock of her own to suck on. "We could stalk them," I state daringly.

"We might accidentally bump into them as we explore the Broken Skies on our own," Yunia follows up with a haughty smirk.

"But what if we just tell them the truth about the Realm Travelers?" Alissa calmly questions as she pats our white wolf's furry head.

And I smile embarrassedly. "Right, yeah, that's easier than stalking and scheming…"

But Yunia cautions us, "There's a risk that they'll completely pull out of the negotiations if they're that scared of losing the Travelers."

Now, this is a dilemma.

"I'll always approve of telling the truth," Ciel chimes in, and Lina nods in agreement.

Then Alissa makes an interesting comment, "The fact that we're here on a divine quest should make it very hard for them to just turn us away."

Could our quest be the key to solving this? It… kind of makes sense that this divine quest will be our way to get to the Realm Travelers without causing conflict with the Sky Landers.